UTSW hosts rewarding global health program

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) hosted a rewarding two-day symposium on global health, February 8-9. This educational event was a great learning and brain-storming session for dedicated weekend attendees!

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The 3rd Annual UTSW Office of Global Health Conference covered many key best practices including evidence-based health programs and measuring the impact of these efforts. It was a great opportunity to hear from professionals dedicated to working towards reducing mortality rates across the world due to AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.

An amazing talk, “Sustainable Program Development in Pediatric AIDS: Lessons from the Field in Romania and Sub-Saharan Africa,” was hosted by Dr. Mark Kline, president and founder of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative (BIPAI). It was illuminating to hear about efforts to drastically decrease the mortality rate in Romanian children, which was a staggering 45 percent in 1996. Today, BIPAI has 14 international pediatric centers providing healthcare to children and parents.

Dr. Scott Kellermann shared his experiences of providing healthcare to Batwa Pygmies in the Bwindi Forest. In 2000, when Dr. Kellermann first visited, the area had a 38-percent childhood mortality rate (20 percent higher than the average of Uganda). Dr. Kellermann was applauded multiple times during his presentation as he detailed his team’s work to drop the childhood mortality rate to 6 percent by 2012.

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From Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Dr. John Tarpley shared his efforts on preparing the compatible workforce of Kenya. He developed an International Surgery Rotations program which provides opportunities to medical school trainees while sharing their knowledge with foreign counterparts. The program supports academic exchange programs in Kenya and Nigeria.

Dr. Mark Harris, an anesthesiologist from The University of Utah, explained the critical need for a surgery workforce in Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). He said 56 million people need surgery today in SSA and worldwide, two billion citizens lack access to surgery. He has developed a model to facilitate specialized anesthesia training for medical students in Ghana.

The faculty of UTSW also presented their work on academic and field research in global health. Student presentations were my favorite during the conference, with their commitment to improve healthcare in underserved countries inspiring.

I would like to personally thank these dedicated global health workers for their efforts in addressing the disparities in healthcare across the world and making this world a better place for everyone.